Time to Celebrate Volunteers!

It’s National Volunteer Week, a time to recognize the power of volunteers around the world!

Established in 1974, National Volunteer Week is an annual celebration to honor and thank volunteers who make an impact in their communities.

We are so grateful to our powerful network of over 37,000 skilled volunteers who have donated more than 1.9 million hours since 2001. They truly are the lifeblood of Taproot Foundation, and every success is due to their talents and dedication.

“When I need volunteers, Taproot is the only organization I trust…They will help me on how to move forward and be successful.”  – Sherry Green, Building Families Together

How Taproot volunteers are different

All volunteers are critical to advancing the missions of nonprofits. At Taproot, our community of skilled volunteers connects with social change organizations to provide support in marketing, finance, HR, technology, and strategy. These volunteering opportunities offer professionals innovative ways to donate their skills to causes they care about.

Nonprofits express their gratitude

Taproot volunteers have served more than 19,000 social change organizations since 2001, and here are just three of those nonprofit leaders praising their volunteers:

• “Taproot provided us with a team of skilled volunteers that were smart, organized, and really committed. We knew we could count on them.” – Randy Rollison, Intersection for the Arts
• “To the volunteers I’ve worked with: THANK YOU! We need more people like you in the world.”   –  Danielle De La Fuente, Amal Alliance
• “The volunteers we have found are amazing individuals, with big professional skill sets and even bigger hearts.” – Mary Lyski, Double Comfort Foods

Read more success stories of our nonprofit partners.

Volunteers share their feedback

We surveyed our volunteers about their experiences to help us improve our services—and to learn what they enjoy about Taproot. Here are some responses to “What would you say to someone thinking about volunteering through Taproot?”

 

• “Volunteering through Taproot gives you the opportunity to touch the lives of the nonprofits you work with. It’s emotionally gratifying.” – Don Mulkey
• “Very worthwhile experience and it enhances social skills and a sense of purpose.” – Kevin Williams
• “Taproot was a really great way I could use my professional skills – and work volunteer hours! – to help a nonprofit I otherwise would probably not have heard about.” – Kristin Sunde, a Blue Cross Blue Shield employee volunteer
• Jan Hertzsch has volunteered his financial expertise through Taproot with 47 organizations over the last six years. Jan said, “I thought it was a great way to use the skills I had acquired over a 40-year career.” (Pictured: Taproot volunteers Jan Hertzsch and Lego. Lego unavailable for comment)

Make a difference – in less than an hour

You may have hundreds of reasons to volunteer your talents—to connect with your community, learn about social issues, and strengthen your skills—but time is tight. We get it. That’s why we offer one-hour Taproot Plus Sessions.

A Taproot Plus Session is a 60-minute virtual consultation that connects a volunteer with a nonprofit, public school, or small business. This can be a chance to brainstorm with a nonprofit on their social media strategy, advise an organization on recruiting board members, suggest data management tools to a small business, and much more. And, just like most Taproot volunteer opportunities, you can volunteer virtually from home!

Here are just three Session opportunities:

• Elders Action Network engages elder activists in addressing issues of climate change, democracy and social justice, and they seek support designing effective messaging.
• WAYS for Life serves youths affected by foster care or homelessness. They seek assistance navigating their overall fiduciary responsibilities.
• FM Pipeline Team engages the next generation of facility managers. Can you help them write a scope of work for a strategic planning retreat facilitator?

Browse other open Sessions, a great way to give back in just an hour.

Not sure if skilled volunteering is right for you?

With so many volunteer opportunities, you want to find the right fit. All organizations need your support to drive change and impact communities, but if you want to learn more about skilled volunteering, watch our on-demand webinar, Donate Your Professional Experience to Great Causes in 2023.

If you already volunteer through Taproot, thank you for supporting nonprofits, small businesses, and social change organizations around the world! Together, you represent a powerful network of innovative professionals dedicated to serving our communities. We couldn’t do this without all of you.

If you’d like to join our talented team of volunteers, sign up on Taproot Plus, our volunteer matching platform.